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Jam 1D, 1933- G. E. FRIEDRICH fi j REFRIGERATOR Fild April 8., 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 DOOR OMITTED Georyel'. Friedrich Jan. 10, 1933. I e. E. FRIEDRICH REFRIGERATOR Filed April 8, 1932 5 Sheets-Shet 2 Jan. 10, 1933. e. E. FRIEDRECH 1,893,769

' REFRIGERATOR Filed April 8, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet s fi j J9 Jan. 10, 1933. e. s. FRIEDRICH 1,893,769

REFRIGERATOR 7 Filed April 8, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I 3 I "5 5-, J r

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 G. E. FRIEDRICH REFRIGERATOR Filed April 8, 1952 Q oowoo V v n a o oo o ooomoomHNo ococo min Jan, 10, 1933.

Patented Jan. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT orrlca GEORGE E. FRIEDRICH, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, AssIaNoE T EDWARD FRIEDRICH, OF

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS REFRIGERATOR Application filed April 8, 1932. Serial No. 604,092.

My invention relates to. a certain new and improved refrigerator of the display type in which cooling coils are provided for estab' lishing the low temperature desired.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved refrigerator in which the cooling coils are disposed in the bottom of the cabinet. Heretofore cabinets having the cooling coils in the bottom have been open to the objection that filth accumulates around the coils,-i. e. pieces of meat and other food materialsfall through the slatted shelves onto the cooling medium and accumulate there.

It is, therefore, an object to provide a bottom-cooled refrigerator of such construction and design as to avoid the accumulation of filth and hence to increase the sanitary factor of the cabinet.

Further objects are to provide a refrigerator which will maintain low even temperature throughout the entire food chamber; to provide means to circulate the air over and through the coils and through the food cham-' ber upwardly so as to prevent frost deposits on the coils and make it unnecessary to de frost the refrigerator at more or less frequent intervals; to deliver conditioned cold air of proper humidity content to the entire refrigerator; to increase the available food stor: age and display space over those refrigerators of like size which employ top or end cooling chambers; to provide a refrigerator in which the inside equipment is such that every piece can be removed without loosening screws or bolts so as to facilitate cleaning when necessar ther objects will in part be obvious and in part bepointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed description, then be particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of one end of a refrigerator embodying my invention, the section being taken substantially on the line 1-1 of Figure 3.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section of the other end of the refrigerator.

Figure 3 is a cross section on the lin M- of Figure 1.

Figure 4 1s a cross section on the line H of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic vertical longitudinal section of the refrigerator in full length.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the porcelain pans used to prevent fouling of the cooling coils.

In the drawings in which like numerals of reference designate like parts in'all of the figures, 1 is the bottom of the cabinet which includes a wooden base frame 2, suitable cork insulation 3 in the base, and a galvanized iron bottom plate 4 to retain the cork in position. Over the cork and framing is laid a wooden floor 5 covered with a sheath 6 of copper.

The front wall of the refrigerator is composed of wood 7 and a set of glasses 67, the

suitable separators 13 laid on the sill 12 of. the lower part of the frontwall. The lower part of the front wall is provided with an inner wooden lining 8 and 10, stepped at 9, so as to provide along the center of the bottom of the cabinet a trough or recessbetween the walls 10 and provide a dead air space 11 between the cork 3 and the walls 9 and 10.

14 is a deflector on the inner side of the cabinet adjacent the bottom of the window formed by the glasses 67 to deflect the aircurrents there.

15 is the rear wall of the cabinet which also has an inner lining 16'-18, stepped at 17, and providing a dead air space 1100 similar to the space 11. The rear wall is provided with a suitable number of door openings framed as at 19 and closed by doors 20 of 22 and also has supports for the lower food shelf 33, the latter being preferably constructed of rods and wire so as to be foraminous.

The porcelain ans 22 have upwardly extending sides 23 tliat are apertured at 24 and have outwardly extending flanges 27 to rest on the supports 21 as before stated. The porcelain ans 22 are made in a series of sections or su -pans. These sections or sub-pans have underlying upstanding flanges 25 and overlying inverted V-shaped flanges 26 at the other end, the flange 25 of one pan section underlying the flange 26 of the other, the flanges, however, being spaced to provide transverse air passages at intervals along the length of the pan series.

28 is the refrigerator coil pan which is provided with side walls 29 that lie in close proximity to the walls and 18 respectively and'having'out-wardly extending flanges 30 at their tops to lie on the steps 9 and 17, thus dividing the space between the walls 10 and 18 into a lower air duct 32 and an upper space for coils between the bottom of the pan 28 and the pans 22. The bottom of the pan 28 is perforated at frequent intervals as at 31 so that the pan is a foraminous bottom pan to permit air to pass upwardly from the duct 32 through the perforations 31 into the coil space.

34 is a fan housing located at one end of the cabinet and communicating through a funnel 35 with the air space 32 to deliver air from the fan 49 to the air space. The fan ,housing 34 also communicates with a downair duct 44 hereinafter again referred to.

The discharge funnel 35 has its spout 36 flattened and widened to conform to the cross section of the entrance of the air duct 32, which duct'can be seen by examination of Figure 1, and is of lesser depth at its far end than it is at its near or entrant end, the width being the same throughout. This is to compensate for the airpassing through the apertures of the pan 28 in order to get a substantially uniform air discharge through the entire series of apertures 31 of the pan 28. 37 is a porcelain guard located over the fan housing and a portion of the funnel and having a down flange 39 apertured at 40 and resting in the adjacent pan 22. The guard 37 at its other end lies on the angle iron support 38 which is secured to the porcelain lining wall 43. This porcelain lining wall 43 is spaced from the end wall of the cabinet to form the down-airduct 44. The end wall 41 of the cabinet is insulated with cork 3 and lined at 42 with a suitable lining of copper plate or other suitable material.

Adjacent the housing 34 the end wall of the cabinet is provided with a service door opening 45 normally closed by a suitably insulated door 46 so that access to the motor and fan can be had when necessary. The motor 48 of the fan is carried by from the shelf 33 through the food chamber suitable bracket 47 secured to the cross angle 38 of the lining 43 and suitable oil ducts 50 are provided from the motor bearings, which ducts lead up to the pan 28 into the food space of the cabinet so that oiling of the motor bearings may be effected from the insibdle of the food cabinet when found desir- 51 is the current lead-in wires to the motors. They are embedded in a suitable lead covering 7 for protection.

The other end wall 52 of the cabinet is insulated by cork 3 and has a copper wall covering 53 ,similar to the first mentioned end wall. There is also a porcelain lining 54 for the food chamber spaced from the end wall sheathing 53 to form an air space 56. The lower end of the porcelain end wall lining 54 is provided with a gutter 55 over which the adjacent flange 26 of the adjacent 95 pan 22 projects, leaving a space for air passage as In the other pan joints.

57 is the top wall of the refrigerator and it, too, is insulated with cork 3 and lined with wood 58-59. the lining 58 constituting upper framing for the reception of the glasses 67 and their upper spaces. The top wall is provided with a recess that has a copper lining constituting an inverted trough of rectangular form in cross section, the bottom of which is closed by a porcelain plate 62, thereby constituting a top air duct 60. This air duct, like the lower one, is of greater depth at the left hand end of the cabinet than at the right hand end, that is to say the cross sectional area of the upper air duct is greatest at its exit end and the cross sectional area of the lower air duct is greatest at its entrant end, the exit end of the upper duct and the entrant end of the lower duct being located at the same end of the refrigerator. The upper duct communicates with the top of the down-air duct 44 so that when the motor is running the fan draws the air from the upper duct down the duct 44 and delivers it into the lower duct from whence it filters out through the apertures 31, passes between the cooling coil convolutions and under the pan 22 where it isdefiected toward the front and back of the re-. 'frigerator and passes to the apertures 24 beneath the shelf 33, filtering through the shelf and around the articles thereon, if there be any. The air passing upwardly isgathered by the upper air duct andreturned to the fan, it. being understood that the upper air duct has its plate 62 perforated.

The lower wall of the upper air duct is formed of a series of porcelain plates 62 in the preferred embodiment of the invention, which rest on the hard rubber door slides 64 secured to the channel cross support 63, these door slides serving to support the vanishing doors 65 in the rear wall of the refrigerator. These doors 6;) rest on sills 66 when in the closed position but may be lifted upwardly beneath thetop of the cabinet when access of the interior is desiredthrough the openings 70. The doors 65 and the means for mounting them may be, and preferablyare, of the construction'disclosed in my application for Patent, Serial No. 535,524.

Within the food chamber, adjacent midway the height thereof and below the openings 7 O, are longitudinal angle iron supports 68 for the upper food shelf 69, the latter also being of the open wire type. The support 68 which is adjacent the window 67 is preferably set in from the window to leave an air space 71 so as to prevent fogging of the windows by enabling the cool air currents to be passed up along the inner glass.

In the practical construction of my invention in a refrigerator of about eleven and one-half feet in length, the coil pan 28 has approximately 288 apertures 41- in its door length while each plate 62 is provided with 10 /1 apertures, this being found to be a practical proportioning of the openings relative to each other.

While I have describeda preferred embodi- I ment of my invention-and have disclosed the same in the drawings I desire it understood that I do not wish to be limited to the speclfic details of construction shown-and described or the specific materials mentioned as they may be varied from time to time as best renet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ductsv extending from end to end of said cabinet and located.

in the recesses of the top and bottom, a downair duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bot- 'tom duct communicate, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct.

2. In a refrigerator, a cabinet. having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connect ing the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, said top and bottom air ducts progressively decreasing in height from the end adjacent said down-air duct to the opposite end of the cabinet, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct.

3. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting j the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a foraminous food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct.

4. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, dept-h, and height of the cabinet,

said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct com- 7 municate, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacentthe recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct. said cooling means comprising coils located in the recesses of the bottom of the cab inet above the lower airduct and below the shelf. I

5. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth, and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and arecessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the'top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said downair duct and said bottom duct communicate, a

cent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct, and a pan located over said cooling means and below said shelf and having foraminous side flanges, all being arranged so that the air discharged upwardly through the holes in the lower air duct will pass over said coils and under said pan and through the side flange openings thereof into the space beneath the shelf and from thence through the shelf upwardly to the upper air duct and return to the fan via the down-air duct.

6. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth, and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the re cesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, a fail in saidfan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent .the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct, and a pan located over said cooling means and below said shelf and having foraminous side flanges, all being arranged so that the air discharged upwardly through the holes in the lower air duct will pass over said coils and under said pan and through the side flange openings thereof into the space beneath the shelf and from thence through the shelf upwardly into the upper air duct and return to the fan via the down-air duct, said pan comprising a series of pan sections having overlapping portions spaced apart to provide guarded air passages at intervals across the pan from one end of the pan to the other.

7. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth, and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air ductlocated at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said downair duct and said bottom duct communicate, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a. food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct, a second food shelf located above the first food shelf, the first food shelf being of an area substantially that of the horizontal cross section of the food compartment of the cabinet, and the second shelf being of a depth less than that of the food compartment so as to leave an upair passage along one edge of the shelf.

8. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food com artment extending substantially the full ength, depth and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, said top and bottom air ducts progressively decreasing in height from the end adjacent said down-air duct to the opposite end of the cabinet, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct, 9. second food shelf located above the first food shelf, the first food shelf being of an area substantially that of the horizontal crosssection of the food compartment of the cabinet, and the second shelf being of a depth less than that of the food com artment so as to leave an up-air passage a ong one edge of the shelf.

9. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their 0 posing faces perforated, a foraminous foods elf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct, 9. second food shelf located above the first food shelf, the first food shelf being of an area substantially that of the horizontal cross section of the food compartment of the cabinet, and the second shelf being of a depth less than that of the food compartment so as to leave an up-air passage along one edge of the shelf.

10. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth and height of the cabinet, sa.id cabinet havin a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ucts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan below the shelf, a second food shelf located' above the first food shelf, the first food shelf being of an area substantially that of the horizontal cross section of the food compartment of the cabinet, and the second shelf being of a depth less than that of the food compartment so as to leave an up-air passage along one edge of the shelf.

11. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth, and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, airducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located atone end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct, and a pan located over said coolingmeans and below said shelf and havingforaminous side flanges, all being arranged so that the air discharged upwardly through the holes in the lower-air duct will pass over said coils and under said pan and through the side flange openings thereof into the space beneath the shelf and from thence a food compartment extendin substantia 1y the full length, depth, and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a recessed top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the recesses of the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom'ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom' duct communicate, a fan in said fan housing,

said top and bottom ducts having their op-- posing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct, and a pan located over said cooling means and below said shelf and having foraminousside flanges, all being arranged so that the air discharged upwardly through the holes in the lower air duct will pass over said coils and under said pan and through the side flange openings thereof into the space beneath the shaft and from thence through the shelf upwardly into the upper air duct and return to the fan via the-downair duct, said pan comprising a series of pan sections having overlapping portions spaced apart to provide guarded air passages at intervals across the pan from one end of the pan to the other, a second food shelf located above the first food shelf, the first food shelf being of an area approximately that of the horizontal cross section of the food compartment of the cabinet, and the second shelf being of a depth less than that of the food lcompartment so as to leave an up-air passage along one edge of the shelf.

13. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back with suitable doors for gaining access to the interior thereof, a trough in the bottom of said cabinet extending from end to end and of less depth than that of the chamber of'the cabinet, a pan of U-shape in cross section set into said trough and dividing it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medium receiving chamber, said U-shaped pan having a perforated bottom, a cooling means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the cooling means and of a depth approximately equal to that of the food cham ber of the cabinet, and means extending along the front and back of said cabinet within said chamber for supporting said shelf, a; fan to force air into said air duct, and withdraw air from the chamber of the cabinet above the shelf.

14. In arefrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back with suitable doors for gaining access to the interior thereof, a troll h in the bottom of said cabinet extending rom end to end and of less depth than that-0f the chamber of the cabinet, a pan of U-shape in cross section set into saidtroughend dividing it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medium re ceiving chamber, said U-shaped pan having a perforated bottom and gradually decreasing in cross'sec'tional area from one end to the other, a cooling'means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the coolcabinet, and means extending along the front and back of said cabinet within said chamber for supporting said shelf, a fan to force air into said air duct and withdraw air from the chamber of the cabinet above the shelf.

15. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back with suitable doors for gaining access to the inte' rior thereof, a trough in the bottom of said cabinet extending from end to end and of less depth than that of the chamber of the cabinet, a pan of U-shape in cross section set into said trough and dividing it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medium receiving chamber, said U-shaped pan having a perforated bottom and gradually decreasing in cross sectional area from one end to the other, a cooling means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the cooling means and of a depth approximately equal to that of the food chamber of the cabinet, means extending along the front and back of said cabinet within said chamber for supporting said shelf, a fan to force air into said air duct, and a return air duct located at the top of the cabinet and one end wall thereof to return the warmer air to the fan.

16. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back with suitable doors for gaining access to the interior thereof, a trough in the bottom of said cabinet extending from end to end and of less depth than that of the chamber of the cabinet, a pan of U-shapc in cross section set into said trough and dividing it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medium receiving chamber, said U shaped pan having a perforated bottom, a cooling means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the cooling meansand of a depth approximately equal to that of the food chamber of the cabinet, means extending along the front and back of said cabinet within said chamber for supporting said shelf, a fan to force air into said air' duct and withdraw air from the chamber of the cabinet above the shelf, and a pan having sides and outwardly extending flanges to rest on said shelf supporting means and located above the cooling means, said last named pan having its sides perforated and having transversely disposed air-passing slots at intervals along its length.

17. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back with suitable doors for gaining access to the interior thereof, a trough in the bottom of said cabinet extending from end to end and of less depth than that of the chamber of the cabinet, a pan of U-shape in cross section set into said trough and dividing it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medium receiving chamber, said U-shaped pan having a perforated bottom and gradually decreasin in cross sectional area from one end to the ot er, a cooling means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the cooling means named pan having its sides perforated and having transversely disposed air-passing slots at intervals along its length.

18. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back with suitable doors for gaining access to the interior thereof, a trough in the bottom of said cabinet extending from end to end and of less depth than that of the chamber of the cabinet, a pan of U-shape in cross section set into said trough and dividing it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medium receiving chamber, said U-shaped pan having a perforated bottom and gradually decreasing in cross sectional area from one end to the other, a cooling means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the cooling means and of a depth'approximately equal to that of the food chamber of the cabinet, means extending along the front and back of said cabinet within said chamber for supporting said shelf, a'fan to force air into said air duct, a return air duct located at the top of the cabinet and one end wall thereof to return the warmer air to the fan, and a pan having sides and outwardly extending flanges to rest on said shelf supporting means and located above the cooling means, said last named pan having its sides perforated and having transversely disposed air-passing slots at intervals along its length.

19. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back with suitable doors for gaining access to the interior thereof, a trough in the bottom of said cabinet extending from end to end and of less depth than that of the chamber of the cabinet, a pan of U-shape in cross section set into said trough and dividing it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medium receiving chamber, said U-shaped pan having a perforated bottom, a cooling means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the cooling means and of a depth approximately equal to that of the food chamber of the cabinet, means extending along the front and back of said cabinet within said chamber for supporting saidshelf, a fan to force air into said air duct and withdraw air from the chamber of the cabinet above the shelf, a series of food-catching pans located below said shelf and above said cooling instrumentalities and having spaced overlappin ends, vertical foraminous sides and flanges or engaging said shelf supporting means whereby air duct and an upper cooling medium receiving. chamber, said U-shaped pan having a perforated bottom and gradually decreasing in cross sectional area from one end to the other, a cooling means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the cooling means and of a depth approximately equal to that of the food chamber of the cabinet, and means extending along the front and back of said cabinet Within said chamber for supporting said shelf, a fan to force air into said air duct and withdraw air from the chamber of the cabinet above the shelf, a series of food-catching pans located below .said shelf and above said cooling instrumentalities and having spaced overlapping ends, vertical foraminous sides and flanges for engaging said shelf supporting means whereby to pass air from below said pans through the sides and between the overlapped ends thereof to the space above'said ans. p 21. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back w1th suitable doors for gaining access to the interior thereof, a trough in the bottom of said cabinet extending from end to end and of less depth than that of the chamber of the cabinet, a pan of U-shape in cross section set into said trough and dividin it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medi um receiving chamber, said U-shaped pan having a-perforated bottom and gradually decreasing in cross sectional area from one end to the other, a cooling means located within the pan, :1 food shelf located above the cooling means and of a depth approximately equal to that of the food chamber of the cabinet, means extending along the front and back of said cabinet within said chamber for supporting said shelf, a fan to force air into said air duct, and a return air duct located at the top of the cabinet and one end wall thereof to return the warmer air to the fan, a series of food-catching pans located below said shelf and above said cooling instrumentalities and having spaced overlapping ends, vertical foraminous sides and flanges for engaging said shelf supporting means whereby to pass air from below said pans through the sides and, between the overlapped ends thereof tothe space above said pans.

22. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a bottom, a top, ends, a front and a back with suitable doors for gaining access to the interior thereof, a trough in the bottom of said cabinet extending from end to end and of less depth than that of the chamber of the cabinet, a pan of U-sha e in cross section set into said trough and ividing it into a lower air duct and an upper cooling medium receiving chamber, said U-shaped pan having a perforated bottom, a cooling means located within the pan, a food shelf located above the cooling means and of a depth ap proximately equal to that of the food chamber of the cabinet, means extending along the front and back of said cabinet within said chamber for supporting said shelf, a fan to force air into said air duct and net above the shelf, a series of food-catching pans located below said shelf and above said cooling instrumentalities and having spaced overlapping ends, vertical foraminous sides and flanges for engaging said shelf supporting means whereby to pass air from below said pans through the sides and between the overlapped ends thereof to the space above said pans, said overlapped ends comprising an upstanding flange and an inverted V- shaped flange held over the upstanding flange in spaced relation thereto.

23. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a transparent front, rear doors to the food withdraw air from the chamber of the cabichamber, and a foraminous shelf located across the depth and length of the food chamber below the transparent front; a'longi tudinally extending trough in the bottom of said cabinet containing a space, an air duct within said trough and having provisions to discharge air at numerous places upwardly into the space above it, a cooling coil in said space above said air duct, a return air duct along the top of the cabinet and down one end thereof to communicate with the first-mentioned air duct, a fan in communication with said ducts for circulating air therethrough and upwardly through the food chamber, and means to prevent filth dropping onto said coil from said shelf.

24. In a refrigerator, cabinet having a transparent front, rear'doors to the food chamber, and a foraminous shelf located across the depth and length of the food chamber below the transparent front; a. longitudinally extending trough in the bottom of said cabinet containing a space, an air duct within said trough and-havingprovionto said coil from said shelf, said means comprising a pan above the coil and beneath the shelf and having vertical walls perforated to pass the air from the space beneath to the space above said pan.

25. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth, and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct.

26. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, said top and bottom air ducts progressively decreasing in height from the end adjacent said down-air duct to the oppositeend of the cabinet, a fan in said fan housing, said top and bottom ducts having their opposing faces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the recessed bottom and over the lower air duct, and cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct.

27. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a food compartment extending substantially the full length, depth, and height of the cabinet, said cabinet having a recessed bottom and a top, air ducts extending from end to end of said cabinet and located in the top and bottom, a down-air duct located at one end of the cabinet and connecting the top and bottom ducts, a fan housing in the bottom of the cabinet with which said down-air duct and said bottom duct communicate, a fan in said fan housing, said to and bottom ducts having their opposing aces perforated, a food shelf supported in said cabinet adjacent the bottom and over the lower air duct, cooling means located between said shelf and the lower air duct, and a pan located over said cooling means and below said shelf and having foraminous side flanges, all being arranged so that the air discharged upwardly through the holes in the lower air duct will pass over said coils and under said pan and through the side flange openings thereof into the space beneath the shelf and from thence through the shelf upwardly into the upper air duct and return to the fan via the downair duct, said pan comprising a series of pan sections having overlapping portions spaced apart to provide guarded air passages at intervals across the pan from one end of the pan to the other.

28. In a refrigerator, a cabinet having a transparent front, rear doors to the food chamber, and a foraminous shelf located across the depth and length of the food chamber below the transparent front; a longitudinally extending trough in the bottom of said cabinet containing a space, an air duct within said trough and having provisions to discharge air at numerous places upwardly into the space above it, a cooling coil in said space above said air duct, a return air duct alon the top of the cabinet and down one en thereof to communicate with the first-mentioned air duct, a fan in communication with said ducts for circulating air therethrough and upwardly through the food chamber, and means to prevent filth dropping onto said coil from said shelf, said means comprising a pan above the coil and beneath the shelf and having vertical walls perforated to pass the air from "the space beneath to the space above said pan, said pan having spaced overlapped ends, said overlapped ends comprising an upstanding flange and an inverted V- shaped flange held over the upstanding flange in spaced relation thereto.

-GEORGE E. FRIEDRICH. 

